Wine from Bosnia and Herzegovina, that is Zilavka, Blatina and Trnjak

When you talk about wine from Bosnia and Herzegovina, you quickly talk about the Blatina grape. Wine from different grape varieties was already produced in this region at the time of the Greeks, but the Blatina grape variety is still the showpiece of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Even less known but equally interesting is the indigenous Trnjak. For white, the Bosnians like to use wine from their versatile Zilavka grape.

Like many countries in the Balkans, Bosnia-Herzegovina has a long wine tradition that came to an end due to its tumultuous history, marked by communism, regional wars and political instability. Wine production, which was mainly intended for the local market at the time, is slowly but steadily being built up and improved by foreign aid, including programmes from USAID and the European Union. The counter now stands at over 12,000 hectares of vineyards.

Bosnia-Herzegovina has a Mediterranean climate with warm to hot summers and mild winters. The proximity of the Adriatic Sea in particular has a moderating effect on the climate. Most vineyards are located around Mostar in Herzegovina. The wines from this region fall under the appellation ‘Mostarsko Vinogorje’. Zilavka, the white grape that produces full-bodied wines with aromas of stone fruit, nuts and juicy acids, thrives here. The grape also goes by the names Mostarska, Mostarska Žilavka, Žilava Hercegovacka and Žilavka Mostarska. To the south lies the appellation ‘Trebinsjko’ where the blue Vranec dominates in the vineyards.

But the most striking grape from Bosnia-Herzegovina is the blue Blatina. This is not an easy grape; it needs a lot of sun and moist soil. The vines are mainly planted south of Mostar. The grape needs other varieties such as Merlot, Tjrnak or Alicante Bouschet around it to be fertilized. But if the conditions are right, it gives high yields and ruby-red wines with red fruit such as cherries, plum, spiciness and certainly some chocolate and coffee when matured in oak barrels. Bosnia-Herzegovina certainly has an original asset in its hands with this grape.